James Ford Rhodes (18481927). History of the Civil War, 18611865 1917.

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he favored the Southern Confederacy. On October 30, 1862 he asked his Ambassadors at St. Petersburg and London to propose that the three governments exert their influence at Washington as well as with the Confederates to obtain an armistice for six months.

Earl Russell had shown discretion in warning Adams that he could not tell what a month would bring forth. At a Cabinet meeting in November,1 he submitted the Emperors proposition and although it was known that Russia had declined, in terms friendly to the North, to be a party to such a mediation, Russell advised that the proposal of France be accepted. Lewis gave this account of the meeting: Palmerston followed Lord John and supported him but did not say a great deal. The proposal was now thrown before the Cabinet, who proceeded to pick it to pieces. Everybody present threw a stone at it of greater or less size except Gladstone who supported it and two others who expressed no opinion. The principal objection was that the proposed armistice of six months by sea and land, involving a suspension of the commercial blockade, was so grossly unequalso decidedly in favor of the South, that there was no chance of the North agreeing to it. After a time Palmerston saw that the general feeling of the Cabinet was against being a party to the representation, and he capitulated. I do not think his support was very sincere: it certainly was not hearty. Gladstone also made a report. The United States affair has ended and not well, he wrote. Lord Russell rather turned tail. He gave way without resolutely fighting out his battle. Palmerston gave to Russells proposal a feeble and half-hearted support.2